


you are the future

by lottiemoose



Series: the sun, the moon (and all those little stars) [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 18:22:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9084106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lottiemoose/pseuds/lottiemoose
Summary: The circumstances of the sudden relocation the the Alola Region have Rey believing that she's going to absolutely hate her new home.But it's pretty hard to hate the place where you get your first Pokemon.





	

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically i played pokemon for three days straight and wanted to write an au. so here it is.
> 
> this follows the story arc of pokemon sun/moon, so obvious spoilers for the game. but if you've played through melemele island, no worries, as this fic only covers the events of the first island.

When Rey opens her eyes, she immediately knows that it’s way too early. The sun shines intensely through her bedroom windows, its brightness only furthering her jet-lag induced headache. She groans and rolls so that she can press her face into her pillow, hoping to maybe catch another hour or two of uninterrupted sleep. Ten minutes later, it’s clear that she’s not getting any more rest today, so she rolls off her bed with a sigh. A quick glance at the clock reveals that it’s just as early as she thought it was—7:53AM—and that the sun has already been up for almost an hour.

She hasn’t even been here for six hours and she already knows that she’s not going to like it.

Rey shuffles her way through the maze of boxes that currently makes up her bedroom to reach the stairs that lead to the main level of her new home. It’s a miracle she doesn’t fall down them; her legs feel like she just ran two marathons in a row, and her knees buckle on almost every step. Despite the pain in her legs, Rey seriously considers going for a run after she eats, thinking it would be a good way for her to get rid of some of her jet-lag and to discover a little bit of her new home, her new life.

She’s opening the fridge to hunt down one of the yogurts she knows her mother bought last night— _this morning_ , she corrects herself—when there’s a loud knock on the door. A deep frown falls on her face as she gently closes the fridge and walks over to the front door. They literally _just_ got here; who the hell is knocking on her door?

Before she has the chance to answer it, her mother literally slides across the hardwood floors and beats her to it, Meowth trailing closely behind her. Rey throws her hands up in defeat and walks back towards the fridge, not in the mood to talk to her mother right now.

(Her father died and her mom packed them up and moved them across a fucking _ocean_ , without giving Rey any time to say goodbye to her friends or to her job. No explanation for the move whatsoever. One minute they were living on the Seafoam Islands, and the next they’re in fucking Melemele Town in the Alola Region.)

Rey grabs the orange yogurt and a spoon and takes a seat at the kitchen counter while her mother opens the front door and kindly welcomes a stranger into their house. The man who walks in is tanned, bare chested (with a nice six-pack of abs, Rey notes), and wearing a white lab coat over a pair of shorts. Rey suddenly becomes very aware that she is still in her pajamas, so she stands and tucks herself behind the counter where the majority of her clothing cannot be seen. His eyes lock immediately with hers, and she blushes and focuses on her yogurt.

“Good morning,” he says. Rey can tell he’s trying to keep slang out of his diction; his voice is tense and strained, like he’s forcing himself to sound professional. “My name is Professor Kukui, and I study Pokemon.”

“Well, good morning to you as well, Professor, but I’m not quite sure why you’d want anything to do with us,” Rey’s mother replies. “The only Pokemon here is a Meowth, and I’ve had him since I was a little girl.”

“I was actually interested in speaking with your daughter,” he answers. “Rey, is it?”

She looks up (not completely) from her yogurt. “What do you want?”

“I’ve heart some great things about you from Blaine,” he says in that same strained tone. The mention of her old mentor piques her interest, and she stands a little straighter. “And I was wondering if maybe you would be interesting in potentially becoming a Pokemon trainer.”

Rey almost drops her yogurt in excitement, fumbling with the small plastic cup until it sits safely on the counter. She’s been wanting a Pokemon of her own ever since she took that internship with Blaine at the Seafoam Islands gym, but her parents would never let her, stating that one Pokemon in a household with two doctors and a barely-teenager was more than enough.

“What do I have to do?” she asks, taking a couple of tentative steps towards the professor, completely forgetting about her appearance. He smiles widely.

“Come talk to the Kahuna with me,” he says. “He will see if you are worthy of a Pokemon—which, given your prior experience and the pristine recommendation from Blaine, I’d say you are—and then he might even be generous enough to award you one.”

Rey can’t stop the smile that breaks across her face. But she knows that she still has one more obstacle to face, turning anxiously to her mother, who is leaning against the couch in the middle of the living room. She whips out her best attempt at puppy dog eyes, turns out her bottom lip in a pout, and clasps her hands together. “Can I, Mom? Please?”

Her mother takes one look at her pleading posture and gives a small smile, shaking her head. “I don’t see why not. You’ve been so lonely—“

“Oh, thank you!” Rey cries as she practically launches herself at her mother, pulling her into a hug tighter than she’s given (or received) in months. It takes her mom a few moments to realize what is happening—that her headstrong, “I don’t need nor want affection” teenager is actually _hugging_ her—before she returns the embrace, giving Rey a tight squeeze before pushing her away.

“Have fun, Rey,” she says quietly. “Make your father proud.”

Rey feels tears prick in her eyes, and she smiles widely before running off and taking the stairs to her room two at a time. She quickly changes into a grey t-shirt and green capris, grabs her bag and hat before rushing back down and practically dragging Kukui out the door.

“Be back by ten!” Rey’s mom calls as the door closes behind her, but Rey can’t stop smiling.

She never thought this next chapter of her life would include a Pokemon.

* * *

Despite Rey’s excitement, the two walk in near silence to some place that Kukui called “Iki Town.” The name sounded quite weird to Rey (who would name a town _icky_?), but then again, she was currently on _Melemele_ Island, walking to a guy named _Kukui_ , so it must be an Alola thing.

The walk from her home to Iki Town isn’t far; it only takes the pair roughly twenty minutes up a road that Kukui refers to as Route 1 to reach the town. It’s not much: a few scattered buildings and a large, raised platform in the center of it all. Rey is about to ask what it is, but Kukui lets out a frustrated sigh and turns in a full circle.

“The Kahuna isn’t here,” he says worriedly, continuing to spin around in circles. Rey crosses her arms over her chest, knowing that this seemed too good to be true. “Uh, Rey, why don’t you go search up Mahalo Trail and see if you can spot him. I’ll search around town.”

Before she can ask where Mahalo Trail _is_ , Kukui is gone.

“Great, send the new kid to the unfamiliar trail, wonderful idea,” she grumbles under her breath as she walks around town, trying to find something akin to a sign to tell her where she can find Mahalo Trail. It takes about ten minutes, but she finally locates a faded wooden sign indicating that the somewhat treacherous path in front of her is Mahalo Trail. Rey swallows any fears she may have, tightens the strap on her bag, and heads up the stairs.

The trail is actually quite pleasant, with plenty of trees and blooming flowers that give off a sweet scent. The dirt road is surrounded by them, and Rey stops on several occasions to sniff each flower separately, memorizing each individual odor in an attempt to increase her liking of this tiny tropical island. Because of this, the journey takes longer than it probably should have, but she can’t bring herself to care right now. If Kukui was lying about the Pokemon like she suspects, then she’s at least going to enjoy her morning outing.

It’s nearing high noon when she stumbles upon a small clearing. A bridge that has definitely seen better days connects the clearing to another on the other side of a river, and in front of that bridge is a girl positioned with her back to Rey. She seems to be focused on something standing—more like hovering, Rey amends as she gets a better view of the scene—on the bridge, shouting and making motions with her hands. Rey approaches her slowly, so not as to startle her, and she’s about five feet from the girl when she finally sees what the hassle is all about. A small, multicolored, and cloud-shaped Pokemon hovers in the middle of the bridge, a smug smile on its little face as it evades the girl, who must be its trainer. Rey smiles slightly and takes another step towards the girl, preparing to offer her some kind of help to get her cute Pokemon back into its cozy Pokeball home.

A loud noise causes both girls to look up towards the sky. Three bird-like Pokemon—Rey thinks they’re called Spearows—swoop down from the air and begin to circle the tiny Pokemon, making moves to peck at it as they go. The girl shrieks in horror, causing Rey to jump back in surprise. She turns towards Rey, blonde hair and white hat swooping around dramatically as she looks at Rey with pleading eyes.

“Please, you have to help Nebby!” she yells, offering no further explanation before turning back to the horror scene that’s playing out in front of them, trying her best to scare off the Spearows from a distance. If anything, her efforts only make the attack worse, so Rey tightens her bag once again and moves towards the bridge.

Her first step on the wooden planks is a hesitant one, despite the direness of the situation. The plank holds up surprisingly well under her weight, and she carefully makes her way across the rest of the planks, pausing whenever one gives even the slightest creak. She eventually makes it to the center of the bridge, just feet from where the Spearows are attacking Nebby, the helpless little Pokemon.

“Go away!” she tries, waving her hands at them in a way she’s seen her mom do to get the wild Pidgeys to move off their car in the morning. It fails miserably, and one of the Spearows manages to get a peck in at her. Rey hisses as she wild Pokemon’s beak connects with her palm, drawing the slightest bit of blood. She turns to face the girl, who now looks to be on the verge of a panic attack, unsure of what to do next.

So she takes a deep breath and dives into the hassle.

Rey positions herself so she’s huddled over Nebby, her back towards the Spearows. They caw angrily and start attacking her in place of attacking Nebby, claws connecting with her neck and back, ripping up her t-shirt. But she doesn’t care; she has to protect this tiny, innocent Pokemon from the Spearows.

(She would come home crying, covered in scrapes and bruises because the kids at school liked to push her around on the playground. Her father taught her how to protect herself, how to stand tall and strong when someone bigger than you was trying to knock you down. She stood up to those bullies, and then she started standing up for other kids too.

Just like she’s doing now.)

She begins to shimmy backwards down the bridge, trying to make her way towards the clearing while still keeping Nebby protected. The Spearows notice what she’s trying to do and start attacking her legs and arms as well. Rey lets out a small wince of pain, trying to ignore the blood that she feels trickling down her limbs. She curls as tight as she can around Nebby, hoping that the Spearows will eventually just give up and fly away.

And then she’s falling.

Nebby is cradled in her arms, the Spearows are gone, and she’s falling towards the rapids at an alarming rate. Nebby seems just as frightened as she is, its small face contorted into an expression of pure fear. Rey pulls Nebby closer, squeezing her eyes shut and preparing herself for an impact that’s more than likely going to break a few ribs.

Something swoops under her, catching her and lifting her upwards. Rey opens her eyes just in time to see a _massive_ Pokemon carrying her away from the river and depositing her and Nebby roughly on the grass of the clearing. It flies away immediately after, leaving Rey to stare at the piece of sky where it was last visible with a dumbfounded expression.

She’s broken out of her somewhat-trance by Nebby pushing against her grip. Rey releases the small Pokemon and it bounces back to the girl, leaping into her arms.

“Nebby!” she cries, hugging the Pokemon to her chest. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Quite a mischievous little guy you’ve got there,” Rey says, standing and brushing the dirt from her clothes. The small cuts that cover her body sting with every movement and she tries to ignore them, knowing that she’ll feel at least twice the pain when she explains the situation to her mother.

“I can’t thank you enough for saving him,” the girl says, allowing Nebby to float from her arms while she bends forward to pick up something at her feet. Rey keeps a watchful eye on Nebby to make sure he doesn’t wander off again but takes a curious step towards the girl, trying to get a better view of the object.

“What is that?” she asks as the girl holds up the object to the light. It appears to be a stone of some sort, a small but rough object that glitters in the sunlight. It looks powerful, kind of like the evolution stones Rey read about during her time at Blaine’s gym. The girl shrugs, but thrusts it out towards Rey.

“I think that Pokemon dropped it when it saved you and Nebby,” she says, “so you should take it.”

“I…” Rey doesn’t know what to say, so she graciously accepts the stone and slips it into her bag. The girl reaches out to grab Nebby, stuffing him in the duffel bag that’s slung over her shoulder. Nebby makes a small sound of content, obviously happy in the bag, and the girl heads back towards the trail.

“Come on, we should head back into town and tell the Kahuna what happened,” she says, turning back to look at Rey. “And you need someone to look at those scrapes. You can’t walk around with that pained look on your face all day.”

Rey’s face flushes in embarrassment, but she follows the girl anyways. It may be the way back to Iki Town, where the maybe-liar Kukui is, but it’s also the wayback home. And after that adventure, Rey could really use a nap.

* * *

The walk back to Iki Town is definitely more awkward with the girl that it had been with Kukui. Nebby continues to prove himself somewhat of a nuisance, so she continually scolds her duffel bag, earning the pair weird looks from others walking the trail. Rey pulls the brim of her hat a little further over her eyes to avoid their stares, trying her best to stay out of the limelight. The last thing she needs is everyone on the island knowing who she is because of her somewhat-connection to the girl with the weird, moving duffel bag.

Kukui is waiting for them at the bottom of the steps. He smiles widely when he sees them, waving his hands in front of him in a single swooping motion. The girl returns this gesture as best she can before hurrying down the rest of the steps. Rey takes her time, shoving her hands in her pockets as she studies the look on Kukui’s face. It isn’t one of regret or disappointment, so maybe he wasn’t lying about the Pokemon after all. Rey allows herself to be a little hopeful and excited again as she reaches the final step.

“Rey, I see you’ve met Lillie, yeah,” Kukui says. He’s dropped his fake-pretentious tone in favor of one that Rey can tell must be his natural speaking voice, as it no longer sounds forced and a small amount of slang has been dropped in. “She’s my lab assistant. Great girl, yeah.”

The girl, Lillie, blushes and drops her head, the big white hat that sits on top of her head falling forward slightly. “It’s nothing, really.”

“You two must have had quite an adventure, yeah,” he says as he turns his back to them and begins walking back towards town. The girls both follow, Lillie rushing up to walk side by side with her boss and Rey falling a bit behind the other two. “You were gone for quite a while.”

“Did you manage to find the Kahuna?” Rey asks, trying to keep the bitterness out of her tone. Kukui throws a smile over his shoulder and gestures in front of him.

A large man with the same skin tone as Kukui stands in front of the large stage area. His white hair is pulled back into the smallest ponytail Rey has seen, and he’s wearing a tropical shirt and what looks like an oversized white belt from a karate uniform around his waist. He stands with two boys who look to be about the same age as Rey. All three turn around to look at the approaching group at the same time, the older man giving a warm smile.

“Kukui, what a pleasure,” he says, repeating the gesture Kukui and Lillie performed earlier. “I apologize for my tardiness. There was an issue elsewhere that required my immediate attention.”

“Rey, this is Kahuna Hala,” Kukui introduces, giving her a grin that shows a hint of smugness. It takes a lot of willpower from Rey to not stick her tongue out at Kukui, so she instead focuses her attention on the Kahuna.

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir,” Rey says, bowing her head slightly in what she hopes is a gesture of respect. Hala nods appreciatively and turns to address Lillie.

“How’s that feisty Pokemon of yours, Lillie?” he asks, leaning forward to peek at the duffel bag. Nebby jumps within the bag, causing Hala to take a step backwards and laugh. Lillie tugs the bag closer to her side, closing the small gap in the zipper created by the Kahuna.

“He’s been good, sir,” she replies. “He likes to run away. Just today, in fact, he got out on Mahalo Trail and was attacked by a group of Spearows.”

“What happened?” one of the boys asks, curly black hair falling into his eyes.

“Rey went out to save him, but then…” Lillie goes on to explain how (apparently) Nebby had used his abilities to scare off the Spearows, but as a result he also destroyed the bridge. As Rey and Nebby were falling to what could have been their death, a large Pokemon swooped down and saved them. Everyone looks shocked when Lillie describes the Pokemon as simply a flash of yellow and orange, all the two girls were able to see with the creature moving so fast. Hala puts a hand over his mouth and turns to Rey.

“Is it true, Rey?” he asks, almost hesitantly. “Were you saved by Tapu Koko?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Rey questions, extremely confused. Everyone else seems appalled that she doesn’t know what the hell this Tapu Koko thing is.

“Tapu Koko is the guardian Pokemon of Melemele Island,” the Kahuna explains. “It’s appearances are extremely few and far between, so the fact that you were able to even interact with the Pokemon is a true gift, Rey. Tapu Koko must have seen much greatness in you for it to come and save you.”

Rey feels a blush rise to her cheeks and she looks away to hide her embarrassment. There’s not much greatness to her; she’s just a wayward teenager with no father and anger issues. She knows several other kids just like her back on the Seafoam Islands. Nothing about her screams “special,” much less “worth of saving by some rare and mysterious Pokemon.”

So why her?

Hala places a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Rey’s head shoots up, tears pricking at her eyes. She wipes away the offending moisture quickly and straightens her spine.

“You have been through so much, child,” Hala says, “and yet you have no companion of your own to help you through it. Why?”

The mention of her past causes the tears to reappear. Rey sniffs and wipes at her eyes again, stuffing her emotions back into their little box where they belong. “My mom has a Meowth that she’s had since she was little, and my parents always said that one Pokemon was enough for a busy family.”

“Nonsense.” Hala takes a step back and digs in his pockets before producing three Pokeballs. Rey’s eyes widen in excitement as the Pokeballs open simultaneously, and three tiny Pokemon now stand on the raised platform in front of her. “Rey, I do believe it is well past time for you to receive your first Pokemon.”

Rey looks to the Kahuna. “I can choose whichever one I like?”

Hala nods. “As long as the Pokemon also chooses you.”

Rey approaches the three small Pokemon cautiously. She has no idea what each Pokemon is, being unfamiliar with Alola Pokemon as opposed to the Kanto Pokemon she grew up with, but she can definitely make an educated guess as to which type of Pokemon each one is. The one that looks distinctly like an owl must be a Grass-type, and the seal Pokemon has to be a Water-type, which means that the small cat Pokemon with red stripes is a Fire-type.

Rey has always had a soft spot for Fire-type Pokemon. Even before her internship at the Fire gym on the Seafoam Islands, she respected how strong, powerful, and independent Fire-type Pokemon tended to be. During her time working under Blaine, she discovered that many of those hard and often times dangerous Pokemon actually had a softer, loving side, making them wonderful companions. So it’s no surprise to her when she feels drawn towards the Fire-type Pokemon. She holds out her hand towards the small creature, allowing it to sniff at her fingers. Rey can’t help the grin that spreads across her cheeks, the warm feeling that floods through her chest when the Pokemon rubs its face along her outstretched palm.

“Litten is a wise choice for a loyal companion,” Hala comments from behind her, causing Rey to jump slightly. She was so focused on the Pokemon in front of her that she completely forgot everyone standing behind her. “Now it’s time to see if he chooses you as well.”

Hala picks up the small Pokemon and the boy with short black hair grabs her by the arm and pulls her towards one end of the platform. Normally she would protest against a stranger touching her and dragging her around like this, but she’s so enthralled in the potential of getting her first Pokemon that she can’t quite bring herself to care. The boy gestures towards the steps and Rey climbs them in two paces, standing on one edge of the slightly octagonal platform. Hala places Litten directly in front of her, and the Pokemon obediently sits and awaits instructions.

“Call Litten to you, Rey,” the Kahuna explains. “Let us see if he is willing to be your companion.”

Her senses completely phase out as she focuses completely on the Pokemon sitting a mere ten feet away from her. Rey crouches down slightly, extending her hand as she had done before, silently willing Litten to come to her. She can hear her heartbeat increase with each passing second, feel her legs begin to shake with the strain on her tired muscles, and after what seems like a few minutes, she begins to worry that Litten won’t choose her.

(When she first started working at the gym, the Pokemon would run away whenever she got within five feet of them, and it crushed her. Blaine had to explain that it takes time to build the fundamental trust between a Pokemon and a human, and that many Pokemon would be reluctant to interact with a human they just met.

What happens if Litten doesn’t choose her?)

Just as she’s about to admit defeat, Litten pushes up from his seated position and takes a tentative step towards Rey. She smiles encouragingly, wiggling her fingers and urging Litten to come to her, to come into her arms, her life. Litten takes another step forwards, and then another, before breaking into a run and throwing himself at Rey. The force of the small Pokemon combined with her sore legs is enough to send her tumbling backwards, but she falls with a laugh, cradling Litten to her chest. Her senses start to refocus, and she hears people all around her laughing and cheering as she stands, keeping Litten pressed flush to her chest. Litten rubs his cheek against hers, letting out a happy purr, and Rey feels tears track their way down her face. Hala appears in her line of sight, grinning widely.

“Congratulations, Rey,” he says. “You and Litten are now companions for life.”

* * *

After Rey reigns in her emotions to an acceptable level (she feels like her happiness would be obvious whether or not she wanted it to be, so she doesn’t bother with that one), she’s finally introduced to the two boys who came to Iki Town with the Kahuna. Hala introduces the boy with curly hair as Poe and the boy with shorter hair as Finn, explaining that they’re his adoptive grandsons and that he brought them along today because they have finally proven themselves ready for their first Pokemon as well. Finn and Poe look just as excited as Rey to be receiving a Pokemon, and they go through the exact same process. Poe chooses Popplio and Finn chooses Rowlet, both Pokemon choosing the boys as well. After completing the ceremony, they both join Rey, who has been sitting in the grass cuddling with Litten for the past half hour. The small Pokemon now sits curled in her lap, purring happily.

“Congratulations, Rey,” Finn says. Rowlet is perched on his shoulder, looking around at his surroundings happily. Poe stands next to his brother, Popplio sitting at his side. Rey looks up and smiles at both of them.

“Congratulations to you guys, too.” She runs a hand absently over Litten’s back. “Big day for the three of us.”

Both boys nod in agreement. An awkward silence falls over them, each focusing on their own Pokemon. Finn feeds Rowlet a carrot, and Poe balances his Pokeball on Popplio’s nose, quite like an actual seal. Rey tosses her Pokeball up in the air absently as she watches villagers light lanterns around town in preparation for sunset, trying to decide how to tell her mother that Litten will not be staying in the ball, when Finn makes an excited noise. She and Poe both give him a look, and he just smiles at them.

“We should have our first battle!” he says animatedly, his smile growing wider. Poe jumps up in the air, Popplio mimicking his action.

“You versus me, brother!” Poe agrees. Rey looks towards the ground, slightly offended by the fact that the brothers forgot about her in the excitement of their first battle. Finn notices, however, and he nudges Rey’s knee with his foot.

“You can battle the winner,” he offers kindly. Rey smiles and stands, placing Litten on the ground near her feet. He wraps his tail around her shins and meows up at her. “Since, y’know, the losing Pokemon will be super tired and grumpy.”

“I’d like that,” she says. Finn and Poe move off to a makeshift Pokemon battle ring with their new companions, giving their Pokemon instructions on what to do with more enthusiasm than Rey ever saw in her time working at the gym with Blaine. It’s refreshing to watch two people having a Pokemon battle just because they want to better themselves and their Pokemon, not just to get a stupid gym badge.

(Blaine would always talk to her once a trainer finished a challenge and would explain why a specific trainer succeeded or failed. There were the occasional missteps in strategy—coming into a Fire gym with all Grass-types isn’t exactly a smart move—but a lot of the time pass or fail depended upon the bond between Pokemon and trainer. The trainers that failed usually didn’t have a strong bond with their Pokemon, and that’s why they were unable to complete the challenge.)

It’s not surprising to her when Finn emerges victorious. Grass-types are always stronger over Water-types, so Rowlet had an immediate advantage over Popplio. Both boys look worriedly over the fainted Pokemon, but Hala feeds Popplio a couple berries, and the Pokemon perks up almost instantly. When Popplio has enough energy to knock Poe backwards, Finn waves his hand at Rey, signaling for her to come over for her turn at a battle.

“You ready, Litten?” she asks the small Pokemon. She receives an excited meow in response, and the two run over to where Finn stands. He smiles at her and gestures to where she and Litten should stand.

“Have you ever been in a Pokemon battle before?” Finn asks, and Rey immediately shakes her head.

“But I’ve watched more than my fair share,” she adds. Finn still gives her a smug smile as if he expects to win. Watching certainly doesn’t give the same experience as actually battling, but Rey has learned a lot by watching Blaine battle with trainers from all around the Kanto Region. If Finn thinks she’s at a disadvantage, he’s seriously mistaken.

“Litten, use Scratch!” Rey instructs at the same time as Finn tells Rowlet to use Tackle. The two Pokemon meet in the center of the ring, Litten striking first due to his greater speed. After the initial attack, both Pokemon seem to remain in good spirits and health, so both Rey and Finn instruct their Pokemon to use the same attacks. Again, Litten strikes first, followed by a nice tackle from Rowlet. Both Pokemon are clearly a little tired now, still being young and inexperienced, so Rey decides to try something new and potentially end the battle.

“Litten, use Ember!”

Finn doesn’t have time to call out another move for Rowlet before Litten spits out a decent-sized fireball, striking Rowlet directly in the chest. Fire is always stronger over Grass, so the fireball takes a lot out of Rowlet, and the Pokemon stumbles backwards towards Finn and falls over. When he doesn’t get back up after a few moments, Rey begins to worry and jogs over to where Finn is leaning over Rowlet.

“Come on, little buddy, wake up,” he pleads. Litten stands off to the side slightly, giving a worried meow. Hala comes over and hands Finn a couple berries to feed to Rowlet. The berries give the injured Pokemon enough energy to perk up enough to ease Finn’s worry.

“You two should take Rey to the Pokemon Center before heading home,” Hala suggests. “All of your Pokemon need a good once-over after their first battles.”

“Sure, Grandpa,” Poe says, coming up to stand behind Finn, Popplio close behind. Hala nods and stands from his crouched position, turning to face Rey.

“Rey, Lillie was filling me in on the details of your experience with Tapu Koko, and she said that it might have dropped a stone?” Hala question, Rey nods as a reply. “May I have this stone? I promise to return it to you tomorrow night at the festival.”

“Sure.” Rey fishes the mysterious stone out of her bag and hands it over to Hala. He takes it from her very carefully, as if the stone may explode if jostled too much. After a quick nod of thanks, he disappears, leaving Rey alone with his grandsons and their Pokemon.

* * *

Finn and Poe take her back down Route 1 to the Pokemon Center. The sun fell beneath the horizon a few minutes before they began their journey, so the boys snagged a couple of lanterns from Iki Town to light their way. The boys returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, but Rey was rather reluctant to do the same, so Litten curled himself around her shoulders almost like a scarf, napping contently. The brothers are currently in the middle of an animated discussion about something called the Island Challenge, something that Rey assumes must be a big deal in the Alola Region. Since she has absolutely no idea what they’re talking about, she opts to stay quiet and listen in on their conversation, hoping to learn a thing or two.

The walk to the Pokemon Center only takes about as long as the walk this morning to Iki Town had been. Once inside, they split up, each going to a different healing station. The nurse doesn’t take too long with Litten, only giving the Pokemon a couple of medicinal berries to return him to full health. The others take a little longer, seeing as both Rowlet and Popplio had lost battles and fainted, but Rey only has to wait for a little over ten minutes for the brothers to finish up. Once their Pokemon have been properly looked over and treated, they part ways, the brothers promising to see Rey at the festival tomorrow night.

“What exactly is this festival thing?” Rey asks. She’s heard it mentioned several times, but not once did anyone bother to explain to her what it actually _is_. Poe just smiles at her.

“You’ll see,” he says, and then drags his brother back up Route 1 towards Iki Town. Rey throws her hands up in exasperation, earning a slightly irritated noise from Litten when she accidentally bumps his nose. She gives him a small pat on the head and begins the walk home.

When she opens the door, she’s not surprised to find her mom sitting in front of the TV. She hangs her bag and key ring on the newly-installed hooks just outside the door and sets Litten down before heading to the fridge to find some food. Meowth comes running over, and the two circle each other for a couple minutes before Meowth retreats to the couch. Her mom, just now noticing that Rey has returned, turns to look at her over the back of the couch. “Hi, honey, how was your day?”

“Fantastic,” Rey replies, grabbing the necessary ingredients for a ham and mayo sandwich and placing them on the counter. Litten runs his tail across her shins the entire time she is making her dinner, so she grabs a small bowl and tears up some ham for the Pokemon to enjoy. She takes her sandwich over to the living room, dropping down in the armchair positioned perpendicular to the couch. Taking a big bite out of her sandwich, she turns her attention to the TV, playing what must be the nightly news.

“Which Pokemon did you get?” her mom asks. As if he knew that someone mentioned him, Litten jumps up onto Rey’s lap, having finished his ham. He eyes Meowth warily and eventually settles across Rey’s thighs, tucking his head against her knee. Her mom sits up, giving the new Pokemon a curious look.

“Fire-type?” she asks. Rey nods and takes another bite out of her sandwich, running a hand absently over Litten’s back. Her mom is silent for quite a while, and it’s only after Rey has finished her sandwich that she speaks up again. “You know how I feel about Fire-types in my house.”

(Rey fostered a Pokemon once when she was eleven—a small Vulpix that got caught in a bad storm. They found it sitting on their back deck, soaking wet and miserable, and obviously let it come inside the house to dry off. But because of the storm, they weren’t able to go find the Vulpix’s owners, so her parents agreed to let Rey take care of it for a few days. Because it had been out in the rain, the Vulpix caught a cold, and every time it sneezed, flames shot out of its nostrils. Rey tried as best as she could to keep anything from happening, but one day the Vulpix accidentally set the curtains on fire. Ever since, Rey’s mother has been very clear about her feelings towards Fire-type Pokemon.

But Litten is different.)

“Litten is different, Mom,” Rey argues, standing and tucking Litten to her chest. “And I’m different now, too. So don’t automatically assume that he’s going to burn the house down.”

And with that, Rey storms up the stairs to her room. She slams the door loudly behind her, her posture breaking the instant the door is shut. She sets Litten down on her bed before quickly changing out of her clothes from the day, discarding her shredded t-shirt in the trash. Pulling on a tank top and pair of shorts as pajamas, she climbs under the covers, pulling the sheets up as far as they will go. She feels tears fall down her cheeks, and she presses her face into her pillow. Litten slowly makes his way to the head of her bed and paws at her arm until she lets him crawl under the covers with her. He curls up against her chest, head nudging her cheek, and purrs contently. Rey takes a deep breath and focuses on Litten, allowing his purring to comfort her into unconsciousness.


End file.
